the eye of the beholder
by Ford.Ye.Fiji
Summary: Inko found that Recovery Girl's most frequent patient at UA, was thankfully, not her son. Rather, it was a sweet man with sunflower yellow hair named Toshinori Yagi. (This will be Toshinko!)
1. only a poor old woman

**A/N: I did not realize how short this chapter was until now XD oops, well its just setting the scene, they'll get longer. EDIT: ahhhh i completely forgot to say! this _is_ set before the kamino ward arc ajsjsks :P **

Inko stood nervously watching the famed Recovery Girl bustle about the small room. She bit her lip, fidgeting as she followed. Recovery Girl smiled widely at her, "It's so nice to have some help for a poor old woman."

Inko nodded, mouth twisted in confusion. Recovery Girl was hardly a poor old woman, "It's, ah, it's wonderful to be here, Recovery Girl."

She was one of the volunteers here, a select few who came in a few days a week to help out. She glanced about the room curiously. This was the room her son so often ended up in when things turned sour. To be honest, she wasn't sure whether it was making her feel better or worse to have ended up here.

Recovery Girl trotted past, "So, you're Izuku's mother, yes? I suppose he worries you as much as he does me."

Inko nodded, "Yeah, he's... He's a handful."

The woman poked her head around a curtain before nodding, "You've volunteered as a nurse before. I think I'll have you change this man's bandages."

Inko blinked, "I- I- well, of course, Recovery Girl."

The elderly hero laughed, "My name is Chiyo, dear. Now, this one's a tough cookie, don't let him tell you what to do."

"Oh." She was suddenly unsure of herself.

Recovery Girl sensed her unease, "I have faith in you. Chin up." She patted her arm and walked to the other side of the room.

Inko gulped and pulled the curtain back only to stare in astonishment at the man before her. If he hadn't turned at the sound, she would've thought him dead. Her mouth opened with horror, "Are- are you alright?"

He blinked before offering her a weak smile, "No, I am here after all!"

His voice was deep, too big for such a thin body. Inko realized she was being rather rude, "I'm so sorry, I just- I didn't expect-"

The man laughed sheepishly, "Do not fear! I get that a lot." His smile was a bit strained, "I've been going through a rough patch lately."

Rough patch was an understatement. The man resembled a living skeleton, eyes nothing but dark pits with a blaze of ferocious blue in their depths, cheekbones jutting out from unnaturally stretched skin. His head was wrapped in stained bandages as well as both of his arms, the thin hospital gown looking more like a rucksack than clothing on his sickly frame.

Was the man a pro-hero? Was that why he was damaged so extensively? But he couldn't be, she didn't recognize him at all, as well as the fact that he looked like a matchstick about to be blown over by a strong wind.

She moved forward, examining him critically.

No. He wasn't a pro hero, but there was something there. His feet were too long for the bed... if he wasn't slouching, he would be a bit of a giant even sitting down. Besides that, there was a spine of steel in him. She could see it in his posture. Despite the slouch, he looked her dead in the eye.

Inko smiled, internally shaking her head for being rude, she was never one to judge by appearances, "I'm Inko Midoriya and I'll be your nurse for today."

The man's smile widened, leaving her dumbfounded. The man resembled depictions of starvation, but oh, that _smile_ could clear a rainy day, "Inko Midoriya? The mother of Izuku Midoriya?"

"You know my boy?"

"Of course! I- he- um, he's left quite an impression on the whole faculty. He's a very bright student. One of the best, in fact."

Inko flushed. Chiyo huffed as she rounded the curtain, "You would say that." She glared at her patient, "You better take care of yourself next time, or I'll have your head." The man nodded, looking like a student being scolded, "I'll try."

She snorted, nodded at Inko and then tottered away again.

Inko moved forward, "Let's get these removed- oh! I don't believe I caught your name!" As her hands found the end of the gauze amidst his surprisingly soft flyaway hair, he answered cordially, "Oh, Nurse Midoriya-"

She laughed, "Inko is fine."

He nodded, "Well, Inko, my name is Toshinori Yagi, and it's a pleasure to meet you."


	2. a series of moments

Inko poked her tongue out in concetration, winding the wrapping around each individual finger. One of the offending appendages moved and she huffed, blowing a strand of green hair out of her eyes, "Mr. Yagi-!"

"Sorry!"

They twitched again.

She looked up, and he shrugged sheepishly, embarrassment evident in the red on his face, "It's the ah, um, nerve damage. They get fidgety." Inko had observed the minute tremors in his arms, and concluded the same. She hadn't known it extended to his fingers too.

She forced a smile, "Don't worry about it."

* * *

Inko laughed along with the man in the bed. She asked, still chuckling, "My Izuku really said that to Bakugo?" He grinned, "Yes, young Midorya has been growing braver of late."

Inko sighed, "I'm glad. I was so worried about him."

Toshinori nodded, some sort of pride in his voice, "I was too, but we really shouldn't be. He's far stronger than he looks."

Inko tilted her head, happy to be hearing reassurance from someone who wasn't closely related to her son, "Really? Do you think so?"

Toshinori smiled at her, "If he's anything like his mother, I'd say so."

* * *

"You don't eat enough."

He started, "What?"

Inko set the tray down in front of him, "Chiyo informed me that you had a gastrectomy, or something close to it."

He winced, "I guess you could call it that?"

She sighed, "You need to be eating more, Mr. Yagi." She arranged the assortment of food on the tray, "I make food when I get stressed. Izuku usually bears the brunt of it, and you-" she glanced pointedly at his sickly skinniness, "are making me stressed, so I figured that I should let you eat them this time."

"_I'm_ making you stressed?"

Inko smiled, "I'm always stressed when my patients don't take care of themselves." She handed him a spoon, "Now eat."

He hadn't really had anyone who cared about what he, Toshinori Yagi, did for such a long time. Excluding Naomasa, of course. Inko stared at him intently with her enthralling green eyes, a soft smile on her face, and her eyebrows raised in an expectant, '_well?_' expression.

He took the spoon, "How could I stress out my favorite nurse?"

Chiyo shouted from the other side of the room, "Hey!"

Inko giggled delightedly as they both broke into a grin.

* * *

Inko counted out each colored pill carefully in her palms. They were there, the whole lot of them. She poked her head around the curtain, "Mr. Yagi?"

He looked up, a smile forming when he saw who it was, "Inko!"

She blinked at the mess of bright red, blue, and gold fabric in his lap, sheets twisted over his crossed legs. She frowned, a handful of pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other, "Is that knitting?"

He nodded cheerfully, "Yes. I took it up because of how often I'm here." He held up a shaky hand, shrugging with carefully concealed embarrassment, "It's better than nothing, seeing as how my hands are too unreliable to draw with."

The needles in his hand clacked. Inko smiled, "What are you making?"

"A scarf." He saw the medicine in her hands and grimaced, "Is that for me?"

She pursed her lips sympathetically and nodded.

* * *

Chiyo put her hands on her hips, annoyance in her narrowed eyes, "Are you telling me that you only have one emergency contact?"

"It's Naomasa, I'll be fine."

Inko folded the sheets on the adjacent bed carefully, watching Chiyo wave the poor man's phone at him, "You have one friend, Mr. Yagi! But the good Detective does go out of town regularly, you need someone else to be in there!"

He grabbed at it, almost too quick for someone supposedly so frail, "Okay! I'll find someone else!"

Chiyo snorted, "Socialize! I'm responsible for your mental wellbeing as well as your physical, make a new friend and maybe I'll stop bugging you."

Toshinori sulked on the bed, as Chiyo shouted back before closing the door of her office, "And if it's Nezu or any of the teachers at UA, it doesn't count- and neither does young Izuku- he is a child!"

Inko watched him settle back into his pillows, mouth pressed into an exasperated line. She smiled fondly, "Mr. Yagi."

He looked up as she held out her hand, "Hand me the phone."

Toshinori furrowed his brow, "What for?" He'd already passed it to her.

She typed her contact information in and then handed it back with a crooked grin, "I have trouble finding friends too."

* * *

Toshinori sat up in bed, heart thumping, "Inko?"

She paused, quietly closing the door to the adjoining office and moving closer, "Why are you awake?"

His eyes practically glowed in the darkness, "I'm a light sleeper." The way his breath raced and his hands clenched the bedsheets spoke differently. She'd scared him. He asked softly, "What're you doing here?"

"I um, fell asleep in the office. I guess I was sleepier than I thought."

She couldn't see him clearly in the darkness, his form sharply silhouetted by the night sky in the window. The only features she could make out were the ethereal glint of blue in his eyes, "Has Izuku been worrying you that much?"

She bit her lip.

Toshinori shook his head, "He does that to me too." He looked out the window, "Ever since the USJ attack, security's been tightened. I'm afraid, Mrs. Midoriya, that you're stuck here till tomorrow."

"It's Miss." She sighed, "I don't want to bother one of the other teachers-"

"That's fine. There's another cot in here. I'm sure Chiyo will be fine with you occupying it for the night. In fact, I think she would insist."

Inko smiled, thinking of the crotchety, yet kind super heroine, "She would, wouldn't she?" She huffed, "Well I guess that means I'm sleeping over."

She slipped off her shoes and jacket, getting onto the bed before pulling the light sheet over her. Toshinori had sunk back down into his hospital bed, shrouded by darkness again.

Inko giggled.

"What?"

She shook her head, "It's just, your feet. They hang off, over the bed."

He snorted as she laughed.

Eventually her laughter trailed away into the quiet. The night seemed to swallow any sounds whole. They were silent for a little longer, before she spoke up, barely more than a whisper, "Goodnight, Mr. Yagi."

There was a pause before he replied, "Goodnight, Miss Inko."

They both slept soundly.


	3. outside of the workplace

Inko gazed out the windows, a hand running through her hair nervously. The students were practicing out in the yard, she could see Izuku among them, a flash of dark green amidst the colorful crowd.

She heard a cough and jumped, "Oh!" Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Toshinori Yagi, stood beside her looking remarkably healthier in a striped yellow suit. Considering that all their previous meetings had consisted mostly in the Nurse's office, it seemed foreign to see him here.

She panicked, confused as to why she was suddenly sweating, "Mr. Yagi!"

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Toshinori please."

"I- ah- uh." She blushed.

He chuckled, "You sound like your son."

She blinked, surprised before laughing, really laughing, "I suppose I do! You startled me a little is all."

Inko looked back through the window, down at the class, "I've just... never really gotten to see them practice before. I got a little lost in thought."

Toshinori nodded with understanding, "I do too. It's hard to imagine them as the new generation of humanity's protectors. They're all so young and inexperienced. To think that they'll one day be pro-heroes seems unthinkable."

Inko swallowed. How had he known?

He gazed intently at her, making eye contact, Inko staring back, "But don't fret, they may not seem like it now, but I've seen them in action. They're bright kids, the brightest I've seen. They'll surprise you." He turned back to the window, and the crowd of laughing students below, his smile soft with affection, "They've certainly surprised me."

Inko studied him. He was still far taller than her even though he slumped, long arms trailing outwards, thin hands clutching the railing by the window. His suit was far too large for him and she wondered worridly if he was getting paid enough. "Do you teach them, Toshinori?"

He shook his head, "No, well, I mean, sort of." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm... I'm All Might's secretary?"

Inko gaped.

His smile seemed awkwardly forced now. Inko frowned suddenly, "Is he treating you alright?"

That wasn't what he'd expected, "What?"

Inko flushed, "I mean, you don't seem well at all, and you'd broken your arm rather badly." She gestured at the bandages peeking out from the oversized and well worn suit, "Are- are you not getting paid enough?" She shook her head. That didn't seem right.

Toshinori laughed suddenly, "Oh! Oh, no, I'm fine. He's really done quite a lot for me. I just... I didn't expect that, I thought you'd ask questions or something." He waved a hand, "Don't worry about it really."

Inko rubbed her arms nervously, "I didn't mean to overstep any bounds, I just nevermind, it's _All Might_. Why would you not get taken care of? I feel silly asking now, but I was worried about you. It seemed a bit unusual."

Toshinori grinned, "No, it's refreshing, Inko. You gave no offense. Most people talk about All Might like he's... Well, like he's a myth, not a man." He shook his head, "As... Um, as his personal secretary, I suppose I see the man more than most."

Inko tilted her head, "All Might does give off that feeling of invulnerability. My son idolizes him so much..." She sighed, "Izuku, he, he never really had a father. All Might inspired him so much. Even now, I see how much he still does." She snorted, "In a way, sometimes it felt like All Might was filling in for my absent husband."

Toshinori choked, "... Oh?"

She giggled, "I know it sounds odd. With Izuku it was always All Might this and All Might that. In fact, I think that without him, my son wouldn't be here."

Toshinori put a hand on her shoulder, his smile turned indescribably warm, like golden bread baking in some worn yellow-faded memory, "Don't discount yourself, now."

Inko's mouth parted into a soft 'oh', gaze returning to the training grounds. What on earth had she...? Why was she suddenly so hot?

He seemed to realize something unspoken too, coughing and looking away.

They didn't say anything else to each other, both of them merely content to watch the students below in a companionable if slightly confused silence.


	4. so close and still so far

Inko was excited to say that Mr. Yagi was a friend. After she'd gotten over the novelty of having someone to confide in besides Izuku and sometimes Katsuki's mother, she found it was extremely pleasant to have a friend. She'd already confessed to Toshinori that she was a bit of a shut-in. The man had turned charmingly pink and stammered out that his hectic schedule often made it difficult for him have things like friendships either.

Inko still turned red when she thought of how she'd taken charge, nudging him playfully with a, "Well, we can be lonely and friendless together, then."

Most of the time, they ended up talking about Izuku. It was intriguing to hear another perspective about her son and his heroic activities, a side Izuku often kept hidden from her. Toshinori spared her some of the gritty details, she noticed, but he didn't lie to her in such an extreme manner like some of the others teachers did when afraid of hysterical parents.

Still, the man ended up in the nurse's office a little too frequently for her tastes. Early on, he'd stop by for medicines and prescriptions from Recovery Girl (who Inko was actually finding to be less like an untouchable pro-hero and more like a sweet yet grouchy grandmother). Sometimes, he'd visit students injured in training accidents, sometimes it was because he had broken something himself.

The one time she'd asked why he kept ending up in the nurse's office he'd frozen, laughed nervously, and avoided the question.

Still things were progressing well, and to her astonishment, they ended up taking lunch together, regularly. Well, every day she came in, that is.

Toshinori didn't eat much.

Inko stirred her tea, watching him as he talked about one of the class's escapades. It was one of those rare in-between moments. Usually, lines of weariness pulled the corners of his mouth down, or he would force them upwards in some false cheer. A strange mask that only served to tug at her heartstrings instead of comfort her. Now, was an in-between moment, when he forgot himself, the world, and whatever burdens led him to the infirmary with broken bones and tired eyes, whatever chains seemed to pull at him- forcing his tall lithe frame into an exhausted slouch. Here, his smile, while small, was genuine and he sat straight and strong.

Inko sighed happily into her tea.

Toshinori blinked, "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you. Talking about the individual capabilities of my- er All Might's students would be taxing."

"Oh no, I was just... Well, my mind was drifting a bit." A thought occurred and she placed her teacup on the table between them, "Though I do have a question. I know you probably get it a lot though."

He shook his head, "Ask away, Inko."

"What's it like, working for All Might?"

Toshinori thought about it for a minute, a wry twist to his lips, "It's... complicated."

Inko stewed about this for a moment before asking cautiously, calling her teacup back to her hands with her quirk, "Are you a sidekick, Toshinori?"

He sputtered blood helplessly, amusement, alarm, and something strained in his voice, "No! No! All Might, he uh, he doesn't have sidekicks... Anymore, I mean."

"It would explain your injuries..." She trailed off, nothing but concern in her large green eyes.

Toshinori tugged at his collar, "Inko, I can't be part of his hero activities." He bowed his head, "I'm... Ah, I'm quirkless."

Inko straightened, "Oh." A few things clicked into place suddenly, his fond affection for her son despite not being his teacher and his admiration of the quirks All Might's students had.

Inko smiled gently, "I'm sure All Might appreciates you a lot, with or without a quirk."

Toshinori turned crimson and spluttered, coughing blood into his tea. Inko flinched, watching his first surprised cough turn into a fit. This had happened so many times, and she still wasn't sure what the appropriate etiquette was... But she couldn't just let him keep on by himself. She stood, hurrying over to pat him worriedly. She called the box of tissues on the desk over with her quirk, rubbing his back soothingly and whispering comforting nothings to him as he doubled over with pain.

"Here." She handed him the tissues and he took them with murmured thanks. She winced at the swaths of blood and phlegm on the tissue. The poor man.

She sat by his side, fingers working at a knot in his shoulders. He cleared his throat, grimacing at the taste of copper in his mouth, "I'm sorry-"

Inko shook her head, "You have nothing to apologize for, Toshinori."

"It's just my respiratory system, a few years back-" he turned to face her, and stopped, blinking with astonishment.

Inko turned pink when she realized just how close they really were. They were nearly nose to nose, and they were definitely shoulder to shoulder. Her hand had moved subconsciously from his back to the nape of his neck, her other hand clutching the tissue box in a death grip, their knees touching. He'd gone still, those bright blue eyes framed by sunny hair, blinking back at her. He'd flushed, again, her breath heavy suddenly.

The room was rather hot and they were both leaning closer- her eyes were sliding closed- the tissue box fell uncaringly from her limp hands and it hit the carpet with an audible '_thump_'.

They both startled, jumping away from each other, knees knocking against the table.

Toshinori looked like he was coming out of a daze. Inko stood abruptly, heart pounding, "I've- I've- uh, something- Recovery Girl-" she dashed out of the room, beating a hasty retreat.

A few corridors down, she stopped, leaning against a door, face still red. She touched her face, feeling a wide smile there. She hadn't smiled like this since her dear Izuku had gotten a scholarship to UA.

A nervous voice in her head fretted over his surprised reaction. They hadn't actually done anything, maybe she'd misread the signals. Except she hadn't really been thinking, oh it had been so long since she'd done this! She wasn't a young woman anymore, she had a son in highschool, who was to say it had ever been anything like that at all? Her hands went to her face.

Still, for now at least, she could enjoy the racing feeling in her veins and the heat in her cheeks at the way he had leaned forward too.


	5. Do not fear!

Toshinori was avoiding her.

At least she _thinks_ he is. He'd called in sick the last few days, Recovery Girl waving it off as normal for the man to do that. Inko was a bit worried about him, but Chiyo reassured her with a knowing smile.

Still, Inko lingered more than usual on her walk home, Recovery Girl dismissing her early as the class had gone away to summer camp. No medical help was expected and she'd finished her other duties. Chiyo said she was an excellent helper, but was no good with her mind wandering so often.

A rumble shook her out of her thoughts, almost falling over as the ground shook. People started screaming, and running away in panic. It was quickly becoming a mob of shrieking people scrambling for safety, all as the ground trembled. Inko stood out of the main flow of fleeing people, going white with nervousness. A woman stumbled to the ground and Inko darted forward, pulling her out of the rush. The woman didn't thank her, already scrabbling to her feet in escape.

She stared up at the sky as a shadow loomed over the buildings. It was one of those pro-heroes, Mt. Lady, running over buildings with a grace and speed that she could never achieve. She was holding a handful of civilians in her cupped hands.

She turned to see what the commotion was about. A cloud of dust spread out, buildings shifted precariously as the sound of people fighting got closer.

Izuku would be dealing with terrifying crises like this in the future. She was suddenly reminded of the very real terrifying fear that had been dulled by Toshinori's visits.

She looked around, and blinked with the realization that most everyone was gone.

She needed to get out of here.

The cloud of dust parted and a cackling man stumbled out of it. The ground rocked like the uneasy deck of a boat beneath her feet. His eyes had rolled back into his head, the tip of his tongue black as he licked his cracked and bleeding lips. His hair was a blonde mop, his frightening and deranged countenance counteracting his unthreatening and slim build. Scars that resembled a ruptured cliff face crawled up his arms, the ground breaking beneath his feet. Inko swallowed, the villain looked utterly unhinged.

Smoke had swallowed the sky, pieces rained from nearby buildings as they shuddered within their foundations, rubble quickly littering the large outdoor food court. Inko huddled under one of the awnings beside a collapsed table and held her hands over her head.

All seemed lost as the man continued on.

Inko looked up with horror when she saw a small child wander out of the shop just a few yards down from her. The poor boy had obviously hidden away during the rush, and he was now coming out to look. The man laughed as he saw the sobbing boy tumble out of the doorway, "Don't worry kiddie!"

He raised a hand, "I'll help you find your mommy!"

The ground cracked open, the boy screamed, and Inko moved.

She didn't really know why, her quirk wouldn't be of use here. The child was too large to move with it. However, she couldn't let him die! He was innocent, and the way his blue curled hair caught the sun reminded her of her own Izuku.

Inko caught the small hand, knees scraped as she held onto the sweaty wrist, her stomach digging into the side of the cracked asphalt painfully. The hole the man had opened up yawned discomfortingly, the child dangling over the new pit in the street.

"Well, well, well, well, well!"

Inko couldn't pull him up. He was too heavy.

"What do we have here? Someone who thinks they can be a hero too?"

Inko grimaced, glancing up at the figure lazily sauntering over to them. She huffed, trying to back out as the kid's wails died down into horrified silence. It was never good when the child stopped crying for help.

Inko blinked back tears as she strained, the edges of the hot concrete that had baked in the sun warming her up uncomfortably.

"I think I'll kill you, too."

He raised his hand again, she squeezed her eyes shut- hoping, praying, and then- "Do not fear!"

She opened them with a gasp of relief, a wide smile coming out with the sun and the superhero before them, "For I am here!"

The kid laughed, tears coming again, "All Might!"

All Might stood between them and the villain, hands on his hips, legs spread as if to draw a line and say, 'this and no farther.'

The villain snarled, "You won't win, symbol of peace!"

All Might laughed without a trace of fear and the villain brought his hand down.

Inko screamed, the ground beneath her crumbling, both hands wrapped tight about the boy's hand. She would not let go, and suddenly someone was holding her- wind rustled against her face, strong arms were pulling her close, and then she and the little boy were set down in the street opposite a gaping hole in the ground. Inko looked up at All Might, who had narrowed his eyes at the angry villain. A hand still rested comfortingly on her shoulder as he placed the boy in his arms next to her.

All Might stood, "Please be more careful, young man! Next time a villain comes, try to stay indoors!" The boy nodded, too starstruck to reply. He'd already forgotten the danger before them. The pro-hero pinned Inko down with his eyes, "Thank you for your help, In- ma'am."

Inko stood shakily, too stunned to reply as All Might started forward. She shook herself. It was time to go, "C'mon, dear." She ushered the kid away, turning back to look over her shoulder.

The two men had collided in a fearsome shockwave, All Might landing a devastating blow. She already knew he would win.

Inko frowned as they scurried away.

When All Might had looked at her briefly, just a moment ago, she could've sworn that she knew those eerily familiar bright blue eyes.


	6. the storm breaks

Inko ended up returning to UA, Chiyo shoving a cup of fresh tea in her trembling hands as she stared into the middle distance. She understood Izuku more and more, the way despite her warnings, he insisted that being a hero (and likewise, putting himself in danger) was something he couldn't help doing- that needed to be done.

The door burst open with a loud slam, startling Recovery Girl and Inko.

Toshinori was panting, blood trickling down his chin, "Recovery Girl I heard that-!" He blinked at the sight of her, "Inko- uh, Ms. Midoriya! Are you alright?"

Inko stared. He had obviously run up several flights of stairs (the silly man was going to hurt himself!), there was a forming bruise just under his right eye, and his hands were scraped as if he'd crawled out of a pile of rubble. (That... that was ridiculous and implausible and she shook her head. Yagi had probably just fallen, that's all.)

He drew a breath, "I apologize for barging in, I just finished- ah, talking to All Might and I heard that there was an- um woman, and I recognized you and I wanted to make sure you were alright." He paused, "I sound like Midoriya."

Recovery Girl snapped, "Well you didn't need to hurt yourself to get up here! As you can see Inko is quite well. Now shoo!"

Toshinori addressed Inko directly, incurring the wrath of the healing super heroine, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Inko colored, "Yes." She looked down and fiddled with her cup.

Chiyo looked between them, noting Inko's suddenly shy countenance.

Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to realize something, "Actually..."

She huffed, "Actually, I have important matters to attend too... Somewhere else. You had better stay with her Mr. Yagi, in case something happens."

She tottered out of the office, casting one backwards glare and a sly smile that startled them both before she closed the door.

Toshinori cleared his throat and spoke at the same time Inko did, "There's something I need to tell you-" they both stopped.

He shuffled bashfully, hesitantly, worry in his gaze. He was fidgety with nerves, "You go first."

Inko put her cup on the shelf and nervously fiddled with her hair. She stepped closer, making an effort to break the unspoken thing between them, "I heard you were sick."

He nodded, Adam's apple bobbing, "I was." He took a cautious step forward, "I'm feeling better now."

Inko looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry for, well, running away the other day." She brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

There was a hitch in his voice, "It's alright." Toshinori took her hands. Inko's breath caught and she looked up. He was smiling and she returned it. It was impossible not too.

"Did you really come from your house?"

He shrugged, attention flicking from their interlocked hands to her eyes, "Yes."

"You didn't have too."

He reassured her, squeezing her hands gently, "I wanted too."

She opened her mouth to speak, eyes on his lips, when the phone in his pocket buzzed. He startled badly, letting go of her hands for a moment. She immediately missed his warmth, "Let me just get this." He pulled the phone out of his pocket, his eyes widening, "Oh no."

"What?"

He swallowed, horror and anger and guilt in his next words, "The League of Villains- they- they attacked the summer camp... They took young Bakugo."

Inko's hand went to her mouth, "No-!"


	7. Revelations

Inko watched the tv, mouth open with horror, eyes wide. She wrung her hands, watching the fight play out on her television. An explosion rocked the news helicopter, the footage shaking widely. All Might looked so bloody and beaten, her heart went out to him. This frightening villain was truly awful and ruthless. She thought of her Izuku who was probably so afraid for his idol. Poor Toshinori, her... Well, she didn't know what he was to her, probably worried out of his mind for his noble employer.

The villain threw his arm forward, All Might didn't move, taking the awful enormous blast full force to shield something behind him.

She bit her knuckles, leaning forward on the edge of her seat, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon-!"

The smoke cleared away and Inko froze, a chill trailing down her spine like cold spidery hands. The sight before her was like a flash of lightning to her brain, her eyes wide, unable to look away. Her breathing hitched, mouth half open with pure unadulterated shock.

There, where the invincible unstoppable All Might had stood just seconds ago, was _Toshinori Yagi_. All Might's sweet, mild mannered secretary. Her patient. Her friend.

His skeletal frame trembled, blood smeared down his face, pooling under his chin, bruises and scrapes littering his body, All Might's baggy battered uniform hanging off of his thin frame.

Oh _god_.

The villain advanced and Toshinori slumped, blood dripping off of his fingers. He was giving up. _He was giving up._ Inko didn't have time to let the new truth of his identity daunt her, she almost fell forward, grasping the edges of the tv, yelling, "Don't give up!"

When had tears started trailing down her face? Toshinori shuddered with her, far too thin, shoulders bowed low. The villain held out a grotesquely mutated hand, victorious. She didn't know why she was pleading with him, he couldn't hear her, but she did anyway- hoping that somehow, someway, he'd know, "Don't give up, All Might! Toshinori! Don't give up, please!"

His shoulders bent under the heavy heavy weight of the world, "Toshi, please! Don't give up!"

The villain raised his enormous hand, preparing for his final fatal strike.

"_Please!_"

She sobbed.

The villain charged.

"_I love you!_"

Toshinori _moved_.

They collided in a huge brutal shockwave, Toshinori beaten, broken, bloody, and still fighting _with all his might._ Inko watched breathless, fearful, hoping and praying as the hero pressed on against all odds.

Miraculously, as if he knew all their hopes rested on him, their sheer will and determination propelling him onwards, he swung, arm too big as if it belonged to another body. Another violent explosion knocked the camera back, dust obscuring the screen.

Inko stopped breathing.

The whole world froze and narrowed down to this moment. This singular pivotal outcome that would determine the fate of the world's future.

The mist cleared away.

There were two bodies.

_Oh god, please._

A thin gaunt frame with sunflower yellow hair and too large clothes stood. He raised a fist and suddenly, amazingly, All Might stood there, blood dripping down his face, tall and proud and unbeaten.

Inko sobbed, smiling through her tears, closing her eyes and bending her head to press it against the screen with relief. Toshinori was alive. Toshinori had won!

She opened her eyes with a gasp, remembering why she had pleaded so desperately. Wide green eyes wavered as she once again stared unbelieving at the screen where Toshi still stood, looking upwards as if he knew she was watching, still clothed in All Might's suit.

_Toshinori_ was _All Might_.

_She was in love with All Might!_


	8. Beauty

**A/N: ...is in the eye of the beholder ;) **

Inko bit her lip, nervously, finally pushing aside the pale curtain around the bed. The familiar skeletal figure looked at her once before his pale blue eyes filled with some unspeakable embarrassment and dropped to his lap.

She'd resolved not to push the issue. As much as it felt like lying, she knew the man had had his reasons. She couldn't fault him for them, as much as it felt like a halfway betrayal.

Inko cleared her throat, determined to act as if nothing had changed, as if that terrible battle at Kamino Ward with All Might had never happened, as if _Toshinori Yagi_ wasn't _All Might_, "Chiyo said you needed help changing those. She said your... scar...? Was, er, bothering you, so I brought an ice pack too."

He turned away, still not making eye contact with her, "I don't need anything... I'm fine. Truly."

Inko's brow furrowed as she watched him lean further back into the hospital bed, "No, you're not. It's foolish for you to say that... All Might."

He swallowed, throat bobbing, "I'm not... I'm not All Might anymore." He seemed desperate to convey that, "I'm not the invincible hero anymore, capable of defending the weak and upholding the law." He gestured widely, more despair in his false cheer than she had ever heard, "That's up to someone else now." He looked down seeing that she wasn't following his train of thought, "This is it." He gestured helplessly at himself.

"I- I don't understand."

All Might sighed, fiddling with his fingers, "And I'm sorry. For- for not telling you. I- I was going too..."

She frowned at him, "All I know is that I need to change your bandages."

He shrunk back from her touch and she couldn't help but feel hurt, "Please, just let Recovery Girl do it." He looked ashamed to be making such a fuss, "I- I don't want you to see what I've become."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, "I've already forgiven you."

He looked up, astonished, "What?"

Inko smiled, "I've already forgiven you."

He turned pink and self-consciously looked away.

Inko put her hands on her hips, "...You think I care that you no longer have that muscle form? Is that what this is about? Vanity?"

If anything he looked even more guilty, "Its just... When I was him I was so much _better_-"

"Toshinori Yagi. All Might." She held up a hand at his protest, "All Might, and don't you even try to deny it. I don't care that you're no longer some muscle bound god with a smile that rivals the sun." She gestured at him, feeling some sort of angry love take hold of her and push aside her fright at being so forward (to the world's number one hero no less!), "You look like a living desiccated skeleton." He swallowed, thin fingers digging into the sheets. She took ahold of his hand, "And that's the man I fell in love with... Even now, you're somehow still as strong and magnificent as you were when you first stood tall."

He gaped, "What?"

Inko chucked him under the chin, "You heard me. You think the people look at that muscled invincible form and see All Might, the symbol of peace, the unshakable pillar. I can tell you that they did... But not just in that form anymore. All Might is still a thing of hope, an idea that lives on... _in you_. Maybe you think that now the world knows the true face of their best hero, that they'll gasp in horror and back away from an ugly broken man."

He was hooked on her every word as she leaned closer, "But I don't see any ugliness, All Might. In fact, the only one who sees anything awful here is you. What I see is a man who gave himself up for everyone, who worked himself to the bone in an effort to make the world a better place. In fact, I see a man with a smile a thousand times brighter than that of any hero. You've broken and bled to protect us, to protect my son, to protect _me_. If you think that your outward appearance can make me recoil in any way, you're mistaken Toshinori Yagi."

He blushed looking at his long knobby hands, wrapped with numerous bandages, curled in his lap.

Inko straightened, "Now. Will you let me take a look at the scar Chiyo mentioned was bothering you, you silly man?"

He seemed hesitant still, but nodded, "How could I bear to deny you now?"

She snorted and peeled away at the wrapping. It fell away, strip by strip until she stopped in horror. Inko let out a small whispered, "_Oh._"

Toshinori squirmed, "I... I know. It's awful. It looks worse than it is." She knew that was a lie. She'd seen him curled around his side in the bed many times, sheets twisted around him as he did all he could truly do at the moment- endure.

Inko looked up, "No one will ever truly know how much you've done for us, will they?"

All Might seemed surprised, "What?"

Inko brushed a hand across his sallow ribs, jutting out like rocks in a desert. He flinched backwards not used to the soft touch. His side was punched inward, as if a clumsy toddler had mistaken his side for molding clay to play with. It was too unnatural, and he was quite obviously missing vital organs. His chest was far too narrow for two lungs, she remembered him mentioning something about that, about his respiratory system. She thought of the blood he coughed up at alarmingly frequent intervals and swallowed. His misshapen hips poked out again, one particularly long crooked, scar trailing down to the hem of his pants. The scar around his chest blossomed like a red angry flower, white trails of raised tissue spreading up to his collarbone. He'd said he was missing his stomach, and probably several other important organs as well. She could see methodical surgical incisions along his ribs, where they'd probably been replaced with metal.

Her fingers lightly trailed along the edges mapping out years of pain and sacrifice. She could see other scars littering his body from other fights as well. The angry red knot in his side was just a fraction of the wreckage, the most notable of the damage hidden within him.

She looked up to see him watching her curiously, an almost morbid fascination in her reaction.

Inko brushed his soft blonde hair away from his face, those intense cornflower blue eyes piercing her in place, waiting, fearing her reaction. Her hands trailed down to rest on his hollow cheek, she could feel his pulse beat rapidly against her fingers, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks... but she wasn't sure. She remembered Izuku and how he always put his best foot forward (just like his hero- just like All Might- just like _Toshinori_) and how he took chances- how he didn't give in.

So Inko, watching her son take chances and do new things, watching this sweet man with sunflower hair look fearfully up at her, laying himself bare before her, leaned forward and, shuddering, pressed her lips hesitantly against his.

Her eyes fluttered closed, his mouth moving miraculously in response. Warmth spread through her like a thousand tiny burning prickles, a voice shrieking in her head (_finally, finally, finally!_), but coherence left her as he leaned earnestly upwards, his scarred hands folding over her own. His lips were surprisingly soft, and he smelled of cedar and spice and something deliciously undefinable.

After a moment Inko drew back, cheeks charmingly pink, face hot, a heated pull in the pit of her stomach. Toshinori, just as flushed, watched her as if she was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen.

Inko sighed with a soft smile, leaning in close to press her forehead against his, so full of love that she could feel her heart swell, "You silly, silly man... _You're beautiful._"


End file.
